While riding with my father on a trip to visit relatives, I overflowed with excitement for the chance to meet Casper, my sad hero.

Casper was always my hero as a child. That trip to Iowa happened when I was about seven. Along the highways, we saw signs for “Spook Cave, the home of Casper.” The signs showed Casper coming out of the cave. I couldn’t wait to see my sad hero.

In all the Casper cartoons of the 1960s that I watched, Casper had no friends which brought him sadness to the point of tears. Every time Casper tried to make friends, he was rejected by the other ghosts. You see, Casper was a friendly ghost, and all the other ghosts were mean and scary. Like me, Casper didn’t fit in. Casper was my soul mate and only friend.

I asked my father if we could go to the cave to see my friend Casper. To my surprise, he said yes. Caves were of some interest to him. He was a partner in a commercial real estate firm that owned two caves in Wisconsin, Lost River Cave and Eagle Cave.

A Chance to Meet My Sad Hero, Casper

My excitement built as one sign after another of my hero Casper showed the distance in miles to Casper’s home. The advertisers of the cave bombarded motorists using the Burma Shave technique. I did a countdown of the miles on the signs, almost like the countdown NASA uses to launch a rocket. Finally, were arrived. We were at Spook Cave, the home of my friend Casper the friendly ghost.

This cave isn’t a walking tour. Tourists enter boats at a pond, and tour guides move the boats to the entrance of the cave. My heart almost leaped out of my throat when the boat entered the cave’s opening.

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I imagined Casper waiting for me and taking my hand in friendship as we skipped off to a place far away from the school bullies.

I don’t remember what the tour guides told me, and I can’t remember what my father said. All I can remember was uncontrollable crying and feeling heartbroken. My friend Casper wasn’t there.

Friendlessness Continues

When I attended my 40th high school class reunion, several people told me they were surprised to see me. They remembered how I was treated and told me I showed strength coming to the reunion. Some also remembered me being alone and by myself.

That I was. Loneliness became my safe space and not my first choice. I withdrew to the library at lunchtime. There I could find a seat that no one could block me from sitting down, and I didn’t have to worry about someone spitting on my apple, my only food.

My refuge was art class. No bullies took art. In my senior year, I spent every period in the art room except for one. I refused to show up for study hall. Others told me the teacher called my name at attendance but never reported me or took down my name. I was eighteen years old, and I believed I had the right to not show up at study hall, especially since dozens of boys smoked in the bathrooms every day and received no punishment.

Revisiting Casper, My Sad Hero

Decades later, when my daughter was young, I took her to Spook Cave. All the Burma Shave-style signs were gone, and there was no mention of Casper. A generic non-copywritten ghost appeared in place of Casper. Actually, no one can replace Casper.

Perhaps the cave couldn’t afford the licensing rates of Casper when the new feature films were made about him, which were nothing like the classic 1960s cartoons, or so I heard. I haven’t seen any of them. Yes, I haven’t seen any of the Batman movies either, and I haven’t seen any Star Trek movies, except one, and I don’t watch all the newer spin-off series. In all things from the ’60s, I prefer the originals.

While at Spook Cave, I told my daughter my story of hoping to find Casper inside. At first, I feared she might laugh at me. However, she didn’t think it was funny. Apparently, she saw the sadness in my eyes, and she gave me a hug.

Maybe someday, when I’m a ghost, I will then meet my friend Casper.

Links

The New Casper Cartoon Show (TV Series 1963–1969) – IMDb

Where are the Burma Shave Signs? – Legends of America

Spook Cave and Campground – A Family Attraction in Northeast Iowa

Eagle Cave – Wisconsin’s largest onyx cave